GRACE returns with Series 4 on ITV on 1st September

The first episode of Series 4 of the much-loved Brighton-based detective drama GRACE will air on Sunday 1st September at 8pm on ITV. GRACE is based on the internationally bestselling Detective Superintendent Roy Grace books by Peter James.

John Simm returns as Detective Superintendent Roy Grace for another four feature length films (4 x 120 minutes) which will air on ITV1 and ITVX. Also reprising their roles for series five are Richie Campbell (Top Boy, Stephen) who plays DS Glenn Branson, Zoë Tapper (Liar) as Cleo Morey, Laura Elphinstone (Chernobyl) as DS Bella Moy, Brad Morrison (Outlander) as DC Nick Nicholl and Sam Hoare (The Castaways) as ACC Cassian Pewe. This series will also feature renowned TV and theatre actor, Robert Glenister (Sherwood, Hustle).

Series 4 will be based on four books from the Peter James series: DEAD MAN’S TIME, WANT YOU DEAD, LOVE YOU DEAD and DEAD LIKE YOU. TV tie-in editions of the books were published on 29th August 2024.

The opening episode of GRACE, based on the first Roy Grace novel, DEAD SIMPLE, was broadcast in March 2021 with John Simm starring in the lead role as the tenacious detective. It was a TV Pick of the Day across all the major UK newspapers, appeared on ITV 1’s prime Sunday night slot and viewing figures quickly reached more than 8.8 million, with glowing reviews.

The second series was broadcast in 2022, starting with LOOKING GOOD DEAD, which like the subsequent episode NOT DEAD ENOUGH, topped the chart as most-watched UK TV show of the night. DEAD MAN’S FOOTSTEPS and DEAD TOMORROW followed. The popular streamer Britbox brought the GRACE series to US and Canadian viewers in 2021, followed by further world territories. The third series, DEAD LIKE YOU, DEAD MAN’S GRIP and NOT DEAD YET, began airing in March 2023.

The series was commissioned by ITV’s Head of Drama, Polly Hill, and Drama Commissioner, Huw Kennair Jones.

GRACE is a co-production between Tall Story Pictures, part of ITV Studios, and Vaudeville Productions. Executive producers are Phil Hunter for Tall Story Pictures, and Andrew O'Connor and Paul Sandler for Vaudeville Productions, Kiaran Murray-Smith and Peter James.

Writers for this series are Ed Whitmore for episode one, Ben Court and Caroline Ip for episode two, Tony Marchant for episode three and Jess Williams for episode four. Brian Kelly directs episode one, Billie Eltringham directs episode two and Kiaran Murray-Smith is also the series producer. International distribution is handled by ITV Studios. Grace is a BritBox Original, available exclusively on BritBox in North America and Australia.

The 20th book in the series, ONE OF US IS DEAD, will be published by Pan Macmillan on 24 September 2024. The paperback edition of THEY THOUGHT I WAS DEAD, which reveals the truth behind the dramatic disappearance of Roy Grace’s first wife, Sandy, will be published on 7th November 2024. The hardback edition flew straight to Number One in the Sunday Times bestseller charts. Peter is currently writing the 21st Roy Grace title.

About Peter James
Peter James is the international bestselling author of many award-winning novels, repeatedly occupying the Number One slot on the Sunday Times bestseller charts in both hardback and paperback. Peter writes both thriller standalones and the hugely popular Brighton-set Roy Grace series, now adapted for ITV by screenwriter and ENDEAVOUR creator, Russell Lewis.

Peter’s books have been translated into 38 languages, with worldwide sales of over 23 million copies and his Detective Superintendent Roy Grace series, set in Brighton, has given him 20 Sunday Times Number Ones. In 2015 WH Smith customers voted him the Greatest Crime Author of All Time and in 2016 he was awarded the coveted CWA Diamond Dagger, a lifetime achievement award for sustained excellence. In 2018 he received a Specsavers Honorary Platinum Bestseller Award and in 2024 he won four Silver Nielsen Bestseller Awards. Peter James has also written two books based on true crime stories, with former senior detective Graham Bartlett.

Successful nationwide tours of the stage plays of THE PERFECT MURDER (2014), DEAD SIMPLE (2015,) NOT DEAD ENOUGH (2017), THE HOUSE ON COLD HILL (2019), LOOKING GOOD DEAD (2021) and WISH YOU WERE DEAD (2023) have packed theatres in dozens of British cities, and garnered magnificent reviews. PICTURE YOU DEAD begins touring in 2025 and tickets can be purchased here. His stage shows to date have grossed over £17 million at the box office. Several of his works are optioned for film.

Peter took part in the launch podcast of the Queen’s Reading Room in January 2024, having had the Grace series featured on the Royal Reading Room previously. He appeared on the podcast again in June 2024, where he was named one of Her Majesty’s favourite crime writers and Roy Grace her favourite fictional detective!

Praise for GRACE
‘A stirring return’ – TV Times, 5-star review

‘Truly nail-biting TV and there were great performances, with Simm as watchable as ever as the shrewd, yet vulnerable Grace… With more to come later this year… I’ll certainly be tuning in.’ – Gwendolyn Smith, The i

‘There is a reason why Peter James’s novels have sold all over the world, and one of the main ones is that… Detective Superintendent Roy Grace is a well-written and believable character… Simm makes for a likeable lead and the atmospheric Brighton setting is well used.’ – Sarah Hughes, The Sunday Telegraph, The Very Best of the Week Ahead

‘Darkly compelling’ – Tim Oglethorpe, The Daily Mail

‘Simm gives [Roy Grace] a winning sense of humour beneath all the grit… Campbell is smooth foil, playing Branson quietly enough that Simm doesn’t have to be enormous to stand out. Brighton’s mix of pretty shoreline, faded glamour, criminal past and contemporary hipsterism makes it a ripe spot for some murder. The action feels rooted in its setting… It’s almost inconceivable Simm hasn’t already been in a long running franchise… and I expect the wait’s over.’ – Ed Cumming, The Independent

‘Few people do moody, angst-ridden men better than John Simm, who takes on the role of Grace. With so many books in hand, this series could run and run.’ — The best television shows in the UK this April, Prospect Magazine

‘Simm plays the lead with elegant understatement’ – Mail On Sunday

‘John Simm is very good as gentle DS Roy Grace’ – Carol Midgley, The Times

‘John Simm is perfectly cast as our morose hero.’ – The Sunday Times

‘A very effective appetite-whetter… The unpretentious storytelling makes this an easy watch, helmed by the always watchable Simm.’ – The Mail on Sunday, Pick of the Day

‘Roy Grace doesn’t have any obvious gimmick to mark him out, but he swiftly establishes himself as a solid addition to the Sunday-night pack… Chilling.’ – James Jackson, The Times, Critic’s Choice

Visit Peter’s website.
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Seven Dials to publish A MOTHER’S PROMISE, Renee Salt’s Holocaust survival story (written with Kate Thompson)

Orion imprint Seven Dials is set to publish the true-life story of Renee Salt, a ninety-five-year-old Holocaust survivor, on 13th February 2025 in Hardback, eBook and audio.

Beth Eynon, Editorial Director for Seven Dials, acquired UK & Commonwealth excluding Canadian rights from Kate Burke at Blake Friedmann in a pre-empt. US rights have also sold to Alcove Press and Canadian rights at auction to Simon & Schuster.

Born Rywka Ruchla Berkowicz in Poland in 1929, Renee was just ten years old when World War II brought horror to her doorstep. In A MOTHER’S PROMISE, Renee tells her story from invasion to liberation, as she was moved from ghetto to camp, with one constant – her mother by her side. Every day for six years, mother and daughter were tangled together in hell. From ghettos to slave labour, Auschwitz to Bergen-Belsen, Renee knows that she is only alive today because of her mother. Her memoir is a love letter to her mother, eighty years in the making, and the Research Center at Auschwitz–Birkenau State Museum has described it as ‘part of the legacy so graciously left for the next generation to come’.

Renee met journalist and bestselling author Kate Thompson on Kate’s podcast, From the Library With Love, and chose Kate to help her tell her story.

Renee Salt said: ‘Having a book published at ninety-five feels like a great achievement. Nearly eighty years since my liberation from Bergen-Belsen, a place that you can’t imagine even in your worst nightmares, I am finally telling my story in full. It has been a hard but rewarding experience. I had plenty of sleepless nights reliving it, but it was worth it to leave behind a permanent record of my experience of the Holocaust.’

Kate Thompson said: ‘Helping a Holocaust survivor to write their story comes with huge and heavy responsibility, but being with Renee is like looking into an abyss and finding a glimmer – a beautiful and vulnerable girl who survived against the odds and, eighty years on from her liberation, now needs to tell her story. Travelling to Poland and Germany to retrace Renee's footsteps only intensified my admiration for this remarkable woman.’

Agent Kate Burke said: ‘It’s such a privilege to be working on this project with Renee and Kate. I can’t wait for the fantastic Seven Dials team to bring Renee’s testimony to readers’.

Beth Eynon said: ‘I could not be more proud to be publishing Renee’s memoir here at Seven Dials. Working alongside Kate and Renee on sharing her story has been an honour, and I know readers will be captivated by her life story, and her mother’s courage.’

 About Renee Salt

Renee Salt is a ninety-five-year-old Holocaust survivor. Born Rywka Ruchla Berkowicz in Poland in 1929, she was just 10 years old when World War II brought horror to her doorstep. After surviving Auschwitz-Birkenau, Renee was liberated from Bergen-Belsen in 1945. After moving to Paris, Renee met her husband Charles, a member of the British Army, and part of the the liberating forces at Bergen-Belsen. They married in 1949 and lived in North London, having two children and five grandchildren.

 About Kate Thompson

Kate Thompson is a journalist and bestselling writer. As well as being passionate about capturing lost voices and untold social histories, Kate’s also a library campaigner. Her 100 libraries project celebrates the richness and complexity of librarians work and the vital role of libraries in our communities. Alongside her journalism and writing, Kate is also a podcaster and recently launched her own podcast, From the Library With Love.

 Visit Kate’s website.

Follow Kate on X (previously Twitter) and Instagram.

Groundbreaking Book on Obsessive Love SMITTEN by Dr Tom Bellamy – aka “Dr L” – Snapped up by Watkins Media and Pre-empted by St Martin’s Press

We are thrilled to announce that neuroscientist Dr Tom Bellamy’s book Smitten: Romantic Obsession, the Neuroscience of Limerence and How to Make Love Last, has been acquired by Watkins Media in the UK, with an audiobook publishing with Bolinda, and in the United States by St Martin’s Press. SMITTEN investigates the under-explored area of limerence – obsessive love – through the latest ideas in neuroscience, and sheds light on the little-understood element of the human experience: infatuation. It offers practical guidance for those experiencing limerence and seeking emotional balance. You can pre-order the book here.

Former Watkins Commissioning Editor Lucy Carroll bought UK and Commonwealth rights from Juliet Pickering, with Commissioning Editor Sophie Blackman now editing the book. Audio rights for the UK and Commonwealth were won at auction by Bolinda, while US rights were pre-empted by Senior Editor Anna deVries at St Martin’s Press. The hardback and audio editions will be published in the UK on 8 April 2025, with the US edition following in Autumn 2025.

Dr Tom Bellamy says, ‘I'm delighted to be publishing SMITTEN with Watkins, who were so supportive of my vision for a science-based approach to practical self-help. Having blogged about limerence and its impact on relationships for seven years, it's great to now be able to bring that vision to life, and explain how the fundamental neuroscience of intense infatuation affects people's lives. Working together to craft the book into a guide that makes sense of obsessive love, and learn how to manage it, has been a fantastic experience.’

‘Neuroscientist Dr Tom Bellamy is just the person to help people manage their limerence, combining empathy and advice with groundbreaking science,’ said Sophie Blackman. ‘“Dr L” offers important tips on how to manage this little-known phenomena that is experienced by so many people, and we're excited to be championing his book at Watkins.’

Watkins Head of Marketing & Publicity Laura Whitaker-Jones added: ‘As Dr. Bellamy has proven through his blog and website, which receive around 120,000 hits per month and for which views have exceeded 3 million overall, there is an audience of readers clearly very curious about the science underpinning love and attraction. I particularly love that in the book he marries his extensive research with comments from those who have experienced limerence first-hand, allowing him to thoroughly dive into the ins and outs of obsessive love in an approachable, frank and engaging style. It is our hope, after reading this book, that anyone struggling with unwanted feelings negatively impacting their wellbeing can use this book to find emotional equilibrium.’

Juliet Pickering says: ‘I believe that SMITTEN will become an essential and classic book on romantic love, and submitting it to publishers has led to some fascinating and brilliant conversations. I look forward to readers being able to identify and move past their own limerence, and hopefully Tom’s book will ensure many happier relationships are able to thrive!’

SMITTEN

“Butterflies” in the stomach, intrusive thoughts, fantasies about imaginary scenarios, mood swings from euphoria to despair… aren't these all the familiar hallmarks of new love? Not quite. These are characteristics of the psychological state of “limerence”, also known as obsessive, passionate or addictive love that can become unhealthy.

Millions of people will experience limerence at some point in their life, and in this book, neuroscientist Dr Tom Bellamy explores advances in neuroscience since the term was coined in the 1970s, and sheds light on this little-understood element of the human experience. Discover:

  • What drives limerence

  • How to recognise limerence in yourself and others

  • How to manage the phases of addiction to another person

  • How to move past it to sustain longer, more fulfilling relationships.

With supportive advice about next steps, this book will help readers struggling with unwanted feelings to find emotional equilibrium.

About Tom Bellamy

Dr Tom Bellamy, PhD is a neuroscientist and Associate Professor at the University of Nottingham. He received a PhD in Neuroscience from UCL in 2001 and held a personal fellowship at the Babraham Institute in Cambridge from 2004 to 2010. He has published over forty scientific papers, abstracts and book chapters on esoteric aspects of neurophysiology. He now writes about how the mechanisms of neurophysiology can help us understand human behaviour. He started the blog “Living with Limerence” in 2017, where "Dr L" offers practical guidance on coping with unwanted infatuation. Page views have exceeded 3 million. The blog is an active online community that also offers guides and courses.

Visit the Living with Limerence website.

Graeme Macrae Burnet and Janice Galloway included in Publishing Scotland’s Anniversary List, 50 Books for 50 Years

We are delighted that books by Graeme Macrae Burnet and Janice Galloway have been included by Publishing Scotland’s 50 Books for 50 Years, a list of ‘iconic titles’ supported by Publishing Scotland assembled to ‘celebrate the vibrancy and breadth of Scottish publishing’.

Graeme was selected for HIS BLOODY PROJECT, his Booker Prize-shortlisted novel presenting troublesome and often conflicting accounts of a murder in a Highlands crofting community in the 1860s. The book was published by Publishing Scotland-supported Glaswegian independent Saraband in 2016, and won the Saltire Society Fiction Book of the Year Award.

Janice’s inclusion was for THE TRICK IS TO KEEP BREATHING, ‘a shocking and darkly funny portrait of mental illness, loneliness and waste’ about a woman’s grief in the wake of her married lover’s death. The winner of the Allen Lane/MIND Book of the Year and the Scottish Arts Council Book Award, and nominated for numerous others, the book was named one of Scotland’s ten favourite novels by a poll of over 8,000 readers in 2013. First published by Polygon in 1991, the book was re-issued as a Vintage Classic in 2015.

Congratulations Graeme and Janice!

Photo Credit: Euan Anderson

About Graeme Macrae Burnet

Graeme Macrae Burnet was born in Kilmarnock, Ayrshire and now lives in Glasgow. He has also lived in the Czech Republic, France, Portugal and London.

His first novel, THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ADÈLE BEDEAU (Contraband, 2014), received a New Writer’s Award from the Scottish Book Trust and was longlisted for the Waverton Good Read Award. A second Inspector Gorski novel, THE ACCIDENT ON THE A35, was published in 2017, and the trilogy will conclude with A CASE OF MATRICIDE in October 2024.

HIS BLOODY PROJECT (Contraband, 2015) won the Saltire Society Fiction Book of the Year Award and the Vrij Nederland Thriller of the Year, and was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, the LA Times Mystery Book of the Year and the European Crime Fiction prize. It has been published in over twenty languages. His latest novel CASE STUDY was published in October 2021 by Saraband (UK), Text (ANZ) and Bolinda (UK audio) to wide critical acclaim. The North American edition was published in November 2022 by Biblioasis. It has been longlisted for the Booker Prize 2022 and the Dublin Literary Award, and shortlisted for the Gordon Burn Prize and Ned Kelly International Crime Prize.

Graeme was named Author of the Year in the 2017 Sunday Herald Culture Awards and has appeared at festivals and events in Australia, New Zealand, the US, Russia, Estonia, Macau, Lithuania, Ireland, Germany and France, as well as in the UK.

Praise for HIS BLOODY PROJECT

‘This engrossing novel… is an impressive feat of literary ventriloquism. Around an atrocity in a grim backwater, it opens up vistas into social and geographical divides and conflicting beliefs about criminal responsibility.’ – Peter Kemp, Sunday Times, ‘2016’s Best Books’

‘Graeme Macrae Burnet sucked me in from the very first page with compelling narratives about a triple murder. A series of convincing but unreliable voices circles the central event and left me breathless.’ – Val McDermid, The Guardian, ‘Best Books of 2016’

‘A smart amalgam of legal thriller and literary game that reads as if Umberto Eco has been resurrected in the 19th-century Scottish Highlands.’ – Mark Lawson, The Guardian

Photo Credit: James McNaught

About Janice Galloway

Janice Galloway was born in Ayrshire in 1955. Her first novel, THE TRICK IS TO KEEP BREATHING (Vintage), now widely regarded as a contemporary Scottish classic, was published in 1991. It was shortlisted for the Whitbread First Novel, Scottish First Book, Italia Premio Acerbi and Aer Lingus Awards, and won the MIND/Allen Lane Book of the Year. Her second novel was FOREIGN PARTS (Vintage, 1995), which won the McVitie's Prize. CLARA (Vintage), a fictionalised account of the life of Clara Schumann, was published in 2003 and won the Saltire Book of the Year.

BLOOD and WHERE YOU FIND IT, two collections of short stories, first published in 1991 and 1996 respectively, later became COLLECTED SHORT STORIES (Vintage) in 2009. Janice also wrote two collaborative books of short fiction and poetry with sculptor Anne Bevan, and libretti, poems and a play. Prizes and awards include The American Academy of Arts and Letters EM Forster Award, and the Creative Scotland Award. She has written and presented three radio series for BBC Scotland and has been a guest on several BBC Radio 3 shows. 

Janice is the author of two works of 'anti-memoir': THIS IS NOT ABOUT ME (Granta, 2010), was shortlisted for The Biographer's Club First Book and won Scottish non-fiction Book of the Year; ALL MADE UP (Granta, 2011) won the SMIT Book of the Year and a Creative Scotland Award.

Her latest book, JELLYFISH (Granta, 2019), is a short story collection exploring sex and sexuality, parenthood, relationships, the connections between generations, death, ambition and loss.

Praise for THE TRICK IS TO KEEP BREATHING

‘I wish everyone would read THE TRICK IS TO KEEP BREATHING by Janice Galloway. Galloway writes with an unflinching intimacy in this tale of a woman mourning the death of her married lover.’ – Douglas Stuart (author of SHUGGIE BAIN), New York Times

‘Resembles Tristram Shandy as rewritten by Sylvia Plath.’ – The New York Times

‘A totally authentic portrayal of both the numbness and the frantic overthinking when you’re going through grief. There are lots of unconventional elements – the pages peppered with obsessive lists, different fonts, italicised shards of memory, commercial slogans, trash mag gossip and horoscopes – but it never feels heavy-handed. It brilliantly, agonisingly captures the indifference of a modern world eating up Joy as she struggles to cope with the loss of her partner.’ – Richard Milward, The New Statesman